THGA 03

Chapter 03

I can’t tell whether he’s joking or being serious. I try to read his intentions. A sharp, eerie glint flashes through the eyes fixed on me. When I swallow my dry saliva again, a clear laugh bursts out from between his lips.

“Hahaha. I’m kidding, Rachel.”
“…!”
“There’s no way I’d do anything to you, right?”

And with that, Sren releases my body. Only then can I breathe properly again. Wearing a deep smile, he seems to sense something, narrows his brows slightly, and mutters,

“Damn. Looks like I need to step out for a moment. I think there’s an intruder in the mansion.”

Then, gently stroking my head, he says,

“I’ll take care of it quickly, so will you wait here for a bit?”
“Mm. Go on.”

He’s definitely changed. Unlike before, I can feel that he’s become kinder to me. After hearing my reply, Sren leaves the room. But I don’t relax. I press myself flat against the door and listen carefully. I hear the sound of his footsteps moving away. They stop briefly at one point, and when I don’t move at all, they resume and slowly fade into the distance.

“Whew… I almost died.”

Only after I’m sure he’s far from the room can I finally let out a breath.

“I need to keep my wits about me.”

But the real game is only just beginning. If I wait here for Sren to come back, I’ll only meet my death. But if I go out through the door, it feels like he might reappear at any moment.

I turn my head and scan the room. A small window, a bookshelf crammed with books, and an old bed come into view. Is this really a place for someone to live? It looks more like a prison. I rub my chin and fall into thought.

“I’d love to just escape on my own, but if Adenhar dies, the game won’t progress either.”

So for now, completely escaping from Sren’s side seems impossible.

“But this time, he didn’t tie me up?”

Until now, he always left the room with me bound. Does this mean it’s okay for me to move?

“Hm… Sren always changed the moment I tried to run away, right? Maybe he untied me this time because he’s sure I won’t try to escape?”

Then there’s no need to act suspiciously, right?

I boldly open the door. But unlike my brave resolve, the moment I do, I squeeze my eyes shut tight. I half-expect Sren to be standing there with a knife, asking why I came out and stabbing me. My heart pounds like it’s about to burst.

Thankfully, I hear nothing. I cautiously open my eyes. There’s no one there. It really does seem like something has changed with this behavior.

Then, suddenly, I hear the clatter and chugging of a train. I rub my eyes, but there’s no train. As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I see a toy train track. A small train is coming down the track toward me. But for a simple toy, it’s even producing smoke.

As I crouch down to take a closer look, the train stops right in front of me. The door opens, and a gentleman in a black suit steps out. His movements are far too lively for a mere toy doll—he looks almost like a real person.

A little person?

As I’m lost in thought, the small gentleman approaches me, bows politely, and greets me. He’s wearing a golden mask that covers half his face.

“Greetings. Ms. Rachel Faminion.”

With a faint twitch at the corner of his lips, he continues calmly,

“I am Phantom, the NPC who will assist you in progressing through the game from now on.”
“Ah…”

No wonder he felt familiar—his name is Phantom, after all.

“First of all, congratulations on passing the first stage.”

Even with his congratulations, I’m not happy at all. When I actually needed help, he was nowhere to be seen. Now that I’ve barely survived, he suddenly appears, calling himself an NPC—how shameless. If he was going to help me, he should’ve shown up before Sren almost killed me! I let out a hollow laugh, then speak in a suppressed, resentful voice.

“Whatever! If you’re an NPC, then get me out of here.”
“That’s not possible.”

Isn’t that answer way too fast?

He rejects me without even thinking. But I really want to get out of this insane game. For a moment, the three times I died flash before my eyes.

“Why not?! I never even wanted to play this game in the first place!”

Phantom looks at me with regret.

“Once you’ve started the game, you cannot return until you see the ending.”
“I’m telling you, I never started it!”
“Even so, you are already here, aren’t you?”
“…!”
“Congratulations! You are the chosen one.”

I almost grab the little man by the collar. Phantom claps with a completely indifferent expression.

Can he really say that so blankly? No—more importantly, this NPC is completely impossible to reason with.

My head is spinning, but I calmly ask the things I’m suspicious about. Since he has no intention of letting me out, it seems wiser to at least get as many hints as possible.

“They say if I die seven more times, I’ll be trapped in this game. What does that mean?”
“It’s nothing special. If you experience ten deaths, Sren will realize that you’re rewinding time. And then you’ll end up decorating this mansion as a corpse, just like the many players who never saw the ending.”

The moment he finishes speaking, the corridor is briefly illuminated by light. Lined up along the hallway are decorations—not paintings, but frozen corpses skewered on stakes. I feel a chill run down my spine.

“A-Are those all players?”
“Yes. Humans who came here to攻略 Sren.”

Stunned by the sight, I’m left speechless. Phantom kindly continues his explanation.

“You will remain Sren’s friends forever. With so many friends gathered here, you won’t need to worry about being lonely if you fail to攻略 him.”

Bastard. I feel dizzy. Grabbing my throbbing head, I ask,

“So how are you going to let me out? Or… do I just need to leave this mansion?”
“That’s correct.”

At his answer, I want to leave immediately, Adenhar be damned. But as if he sees through my thoughts, Phantom clicks his tongue and says,

“By the way, if you fail to save Lord Adenhar, then even after escaping the mansion, you’ll be tormented by his evil spirit. He foolishly came to save you and ended up like that, after all.”

Hey, you little—his tone suddenly sounds rude.

But as if nothing happened, Phantom smiles brightly and says,

“Lord Sren is a very lonely person. I sincerely hope you can soothe his heart. If you do, you’ll obtain perfect happiness beyond compare.”
“And what is that happiness?”

When I ask flatly, Phantom answers as if it’s obvious.

“Becoming Lord Sren’s happy bride!”
“If that happens, I log out of the game completely, right? I get the happy ending?”

Phantom frowns deeply, clearly displeased.

“How heartless of you, human! Shouldn’t you bear children with Lord Sren and live happily ever after?”

I immediately grab Phantom in my hand. His small body fits perfectly in my palm.

“Are you kidding me? You said I’d be let out once I saw the ending! What did you say—keep living here with that crazy bastard? Huh?”

I tighten my grip. Phantom, struggling, turns pale and shouts urgently,

“If—if you kill me, you’ll never be able to leave the game!”

Staring at him suspiciously, I have no choice but to loosen my grip. But still… what is this uneasy feeling?

Finally able to breathe again, Phantom coughs dryly and rubs his throat, grumbling indignantly.

“You’ve got a nasty personality.”
“My life’s on the line, and you keep saying stupid things.”
“Ahem. Anyway, if you want to leave this mansion, you must find the key. To do that, you need to find the six Door Stones hidden throughout the house and combine the letters written on them. They’ll reveal where the key is.”

I expected it to be difficult, but I’m already exhausted.

So basically, I have to steal six Door Stones.

As if he’s read my mind, Phantom nods and snaps his fingers as he adds,

“That’s right. You must steal six Door Stones. Just be careful not to get caught by Lord Sren. As always, if you die, you’ll have to start over from the beginning.”
“……”
“And if that happens, any Door Stones you’ve found will reset, and their locations will change. The closer you are to death, the higher the difficulty becomes—please keep that firmly in mind.”

A curse slips out of my mouth on its own. My chances of survival feel farther away than ever. Can I really survive this? I can’t help but feel that becoming one of the corpses hanging in this corridor could happen in the blink of an eye.